


Her Legacy and All thats Left

by MumSnake



Series: Child of Scarlet Flame and Blacken Void [6]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Gen, Monomon the Teacher (Hollow Knight) - Freeform, Other, Post Dream No More Ending, and Post Grimm Troupe Ritual, she's mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-02 12:25:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15796494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MumSnake/pseuds/MumSnake
Summary: The Teacher's Archives were very purposely placed at the heart of the rather volatile Fog Canyon.





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Taking place after In Her Sights in the Child of Scarlet Flame and Blacken Void series.
> 
> I've been playing Godmaster (and I honestly miss calling it Gods and Glory, which was more catchy to me) and I know about the new ending that you can get after beating Godmaster and I'm probably gonna try to implement it into the series, so expect an update to the tags soon.

“Careful now, I know that the acid in the water does not particularly sting, but continued contact might start doing some damage.”

The Child easily flew over the many acid pits that littered the Fog Canyon as Quirrel called out to them from below. The Child let out a cheery quip in reply as they glided between two rather stationary Ooma. The two of them were on their way to the Teacher's Archives after spending more than a few weeks at the Resting Grounds. Even as the Child more then proved themselves capable of moving on their own and even flying with the same old grace that they once possessed, Quirrel still remained reluctant on letting them explore on their own.

The Child thought that if Quirrel saw them with someone else while they were away, such as with the God Tamer at the Colosseum, then their Guardian won't worry as much, but the opposite seemed to be more true. Quirrel had only made more of an attempt to stay by their side and the Child couldn't fathom as to why, but they made no attempt to push their Guardian away at the moment.

And the Child had noticed that Quirrel needed some time to properly relax, so they suggested/forced Quirrel to visit the Teacher's Archives.

A quick ride from the Stag Station and a some maneuvering later, and the two of them were quickly approaching the Archive's Gates.

The Teacher's Archives were very purposely placed at the heart of the rather volatile Fog Canyon. The acidic waters that spilled far and wide through the low levels of Hallownest produced a large amount of steam and fog that then clung to the narrow walls and tunnels of the tight canyon, creating a moist atmosphere and the perfect conditions for static to form and charge from the particles carried and released by the waters. Quirrel had said that the Teacher wanted to place her study far closer to the source of the acidic waters, but when she stumbled upon this cavern within the fog, she refused to be moved anywhere else, even if it meant that nearly no one would be able to reach the Archives.

“The Teacher was not found of visitors, actually,” Quirrel had confessed to them before. “She hated being disturbed from her work more the anything and more often then not, the visitors who came demanding for her attention were the kind who would rather lay on a bed made of geo high up on the City's Towers. So when it was determined that such bugs would not be able to make the journey to her Archives, she nearly erupted from joy.”

The Child hummed to themselves as they watched Quirrel unlock the gates and open one of the doors to the Archives' Main Hall. They landed next to Quirrel and grabbed his hand to walk by his side after Quirrel relocked the gates behind them.

The Main Hall hummed with energy produced from multiple sources and glistened with light reflected from the many lumaflies, oomas, and uomas who populated the area. The Child walked right next to Quirrel as their Guardian slowly made their way through to the other side. The many creatures who inhabited the Archives were generally passive, but the Child knew how fragile their bodies were, having the misfortune of ramming into a uoma once. The creatures however seemed to have some since to themselves however as they would always maneuver around Quirrel when he walking near them.

He had said that the strange creatures recognized him, that they knew he was friendly, but the Child couldn't help but doubt that line of thought.

“The Oomas don't seem to have been bothered, that's good.” Quirrel spoke to himself as he surveyed the Main Hall. The Child pulled on their hand once to get their attention, they wanted to go to the less populated areas of the Archives. “Hmm? Oh, right. We can settle down first before I check in with everything.”

Quirrel led them through one of the passages to the left that opened into a large spiraling staircase. The two of them went up one floor to what used to act as a residential area and turned through a few more passages before finally ending up at the usual space that they used as a home while in the Teacher's Archives.

The space was cluttered with numerous opened tomes and tablets that both the Child and Quirrel had taken from somewhere else in the Archives. Pillows, blankets, and anything else that proved to be soft or comfortable enough to lay or sit on had also been placed in the large room either tucked into corners or by the large window that opened up to a balcony.

The Child moved over to the window as Quirrel set down his pack by one of the many tables. They looked out to see the overgrown courtyard of the Archives that was nestled at the heart of the institution. Oomas and Uomas fluttered about in seemingly random directions as lumaflies hovered in stationary spots, lighting up the thorns and plants that had managed to grow within the confined space.

“I'm going to make my rounds around the Archives, would you like to join me, my Child?”

The Child turned to see Quirrel at the door and ready to set out, practically able to see the anxiousness coming out of them. Quirrel believed that so long as the Child stayed within the Archives, they would be safe, despite the explosive creatures that floated about unsupervised, and although the Child knew that he would still want to watch over them in case their wound started to act up again, what Quirrel wanted more then anything at the moment was some time to himself. The Child stared at him for a moment before shaking their head and pointing at one of the near by piles of pillows, just as well stating their intent to stay and rest.

“Very well then.” They noticed the small sigh that he released, the tension that slowly seeped away from his shoulders. “I shall check around the Archives, make sure that everything is how it should be, not that the lumaflies and uomas could do any real damage on their own, well maybe the lumaflies should they bunch up and get too close to one of the locking mechanisms or maybe the charged tablets, now that could be bad and quite damaging...”

The Child listen to Quirrel ramble to himself as he set off back down through the Archives and towards what they assumed to be the labs. Quirrel always went to the underground labs first whenever they visited, and after he made sure that everything was as it should be in the other more popular areas of the Archives, he always ended up back in the labs, sitting in front of a large empty container.

The Child let out a small whimper as they remembered following their Guardian to that spot deep in the labs once. They felt invasive and the silenced that filled the experimenting area made them so uncomfortable that they left as quickly as they could and as quietly as possible.

They decided to actually do as they said this time and went to retrieve an old gray cloak from Quirrel's pack. They draped the cloak around them, the length just barely off the ground, and ran over to the soft pillows. They curled around themselves as they laid down to sleep, the cloak tight in their grip with the faint memory of dark eyes on a white mask with a protective stare lulled them to sleep.

 


	2. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was one of the only things they had that belonged to their parent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised that I would have something out by Sunday, and it is technically still Sunday here sooo

It wasn't something that was expertly made or properly taken care of really. Battered and old and at least patched up with some kind of care as multiple attempts had been made to match both the color and the material of the original gray cloak. There were numerous signs of patchwork too, clearly its previous owner had a pension of either getting hurt or just nearly avoiding slashes and what the Child thinks are either claw marks or bite imprints. Still, the old gray cloak was more then suitable as a blanket when they went to sleep and could also act as a decent enough shield from falling water whenever such a protection was needed.

Not to mention, it was one of the only things they had that belonged to their parent.

The Child lifted the fabric up against the light for inspection as they sat within a horde of pillows and blankets. The dark fabric wasn't exactly soft, but they were happy to see that the the old cloak wasn't as worn as it could be. They brought the cloak back down and wrapped it around their frame, wings curled inward to allow the small fabric to more securely encircle them. They caught a hint of something strong but not too overly bitter, probably from the Fungal Wastes when they last went to see if Juvi was available.

The Child let out a small flicker of red flames from their mouth in absent thought, clawed hands tightening on the cloak around them.

They couldn't even remember anything about their parent, but they still knew that this particular cloak had belonged to them even without Quirrel telling them.

The Child curled around themselves and closed their eyes as they tried to do that meditation thing that Mato -they finally made a note to remember his name- showed them before to help with the Lake of Unn, only this time they focused on their parent's cloak instead.

There was only the humming of life around them, the sounds of moving water, the patters and rumbles of shifting electricity and charges made from the Uomas and Oomas, the soft buzzing of lumafly lanterns that gave off a soft glow against the darkness of the night. They felt the soft silk of some of the nicer pillows they had collected and finally, the heavy weight of the gray cloak over their shoulders.

They sat in silence for a long time, their focus shifting to drowsiness as the cloak seemed to envelope them more as they slouched down.

But nothing else happened.

There was no burning ignition from within, no spark of fire that they were now slowly get used to.

The sounds of life around them dimmed to near nothingness, the soft lights from the lumafly lanterns and the static charges of the Uomas and Oomas stunned out to the darkness around them that no light could ever possible escape from, no matter how volatile or alive. Their mind seemed to still in thought as a piecing abyss filled them, but they found solace where they maybe would think there would be aggression.

Rather, the darkness as gentle and familiar and the Child couldn't keep themselves awake any longer as they welcomed the deep need to sleep that entered their mind...

“ _Child, sweet Child. What a rare thing you are... I wonder if that Vessel knows of just how precious you are.”_

_The Grimmchild looked up at Grimm with wide unseeing eyes. They couldn't make out his appearance exactly, there was too much flame, too much fire, too much light. But they could hear his voice and they liked hearing his voice, always strong and commanding._

“ _I suppose that it does, otherwise why go to the trouble of prolonging all this. Ahh, here it comes now.”_

_The Grimmchild shifted from its position in Grimm's hold, turning its head to see the other half of the ritual, but there was nothing there._

_Only black; a deep, all consuming Void._

The Child jolted awake at the sound of crackling fires. They jumped up to stand with the taste of scarlet flames in their mouth ready to be unleashed, only to see that they were alone and there was no threat. Their scarlet fires died down slowly to sharp hues of red as they calmed themselves, placing a hand on their chest in an attempt to calm their heart, only to notice the odd specks of something... dark ooze from their upper limbs.

The Child extended their arms outward for a better inspection, but nothing out of the ordinary was visible to them, the dark ooze gone as if it was never there. They looked over themselves briefly before letting out a sigh of small embers and gathering their fallen cloak into their hands.

Maybe it was time they went to check on Quirrel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That whole part with Grimm speaking was a memory from before everything happened, it occurred during the Ritual and before the Ritual was completed.


	3. Intermission #2: Questions for Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Child huffed out a pout in annoyance. Why wouldn't the creature block their path?
> 
> Guess they'll just have to swim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my "E" key on my keyboard is broken and I can still press the key luckily, but it has made typing incredibly tedious and really annoying and it sucks a lot.
> 
> More importantly, thank you to those who read this series, I don't think I've ever said that on the notes and I really should, so again thank you so much and even more so to those who answered my question and for giving me your thoughts on this.

The Child stood in front of the archway that led down to the labs and experimental rooms. They had wrapped the cloak back around them and clung to it as a life line as they made their way through the Archives. There were less Uomas and Oomas that litter the hallways, but they still felt uneasy at the moment. A shiver went through their body and the Child blew out a small scarlet ember to warm themselves, but the tiny flame hardly did anything for them. They blinked their eyes at the poor display and then took a look around them.

When had it gotten so dark?

Another shiver went through them, causing the Child to clutch the cloak more tightly. They turned towards the entrance to the labs and attempted a brisk walk. They didn't want to run in case any lingering highly explosive or high-charged creatures wondered into their path, but they really wanted to see Quirrel, their Guardian always made things better.

Or at least, Quirrel always made them feel safe.

The Child made more and more sharp turns downwards. The Archives had suffered from some internal damage over time, causing some collapsed walkways and broken walls. The worst areas were those that were flooded with acidic waters and normally the Child won't mind swimming through those rooms, but they felt too off at the moment.

They held the cloak tighter and diligently marched through the lit walkways focusing on just finding Quirrel so everything would be fine.

They jumped over a series of holes as some charged lumaflies fluttered all around them. They pulled the cloak closer to them as they tried to focus on not falling into one of the holes when an Ooma floated down just above their head from one of the holes in the ceiling with more speed then should had been necessary. The Child gasped out a tiny ember and reflectively flapped their wings to pull themselves back and away from the sensitive nucleus. They pulled at the familiar feel of the Scarlet Flame from deep within to enhance their movement, enveloping them in a Shade Cloak of Scarlet Flames. They moved a safe distance away from the Ooma, a small trail of crimson cinders following them on the ground as the floating nucleus hovered and blocked their way forward.

The Child huffed out a pout in annoyance. Why wouldn't the creature block their path?

They slowly moved up and hovered just out of range from the Ooma in case the creature decided to move erratically towards them. At the moment the Ooma seemed fine with just hovering in the way. The Child turned their head in thought; if they dashed through the Ooma with their Shade Cloak they could get by, but the trail of flames might agitate the nucleus and cause a reaction...

“Hmmm.” The Child shook their head and turned around sharply. They spat out a small ember in irritation as they made their way back to the flooded floors.

Guess they'll just have to swim.

–

The Child stood above one of the most destroyed rooms in the Archives. They knelt above one of the holes and saw some of the barely standing platforms that were balanced precariously throughout the room. Even from a distance, they notice the marks and scratches on the floors and walls that couldn't had been made just from continued exposure to the acid water. The Child notice some kind of raw looking clear material spread throughout the room, as if slashed off with great speed and precision. They assumed that some kind of fight happened here, one that damaged that whole room and left it heavily marked and the Child found themselves trying to visualize such a display. They quickly shook their head and stood up from their crouch position. No time to daydream about past battles and glories, they scolded themselves as they tied the cloak over their shoulders, even if it looked like a grand performance had taken place. The Child gave one final look around the hallway before finally jumping into the air and down the hole.

They flipped forward through their descent and breathed out a small burst of scarlet fire to cover their body. The scarlet fire enveloped them in shades of reds and blacks, leaving a trail behind them as they twirled past some of the platforms for the water. They lifted their wings in a pointed arch above their head to pierce through the water and dived through with grace and accuracy. The flames that covered their form crackled against both the acid in the water and the water itself, flaring up at the impact before dying down to cooled embers of crimson flames that danced over their darken form.

When the Child used their fires to act as a shield, the flames flickered outward and danced over them as if they were a roaring bonfire. But when the shield weakened, the fires died down to being nearly still and only small sizzles came from their body. The crimson color that came from the flames died to a blacken ash, and even though the Child physically felt just as fine with the black ash, once it started to appear it tended to spread and kill off any lingering scarlet fires that reminded on their shield.

And after finding out that the Scarlet Flame was apart their existence, that little detail started to worry them.

As the Child spread their wings to slow their movement within the water, they saw the crimson flames of their shield fight against the acid and the electric charges in the water. They could hear and feel the crackling that came from burning and notice quickly that their flames were being exhausted faster then they had anticipated. With a new incentive, the Child pushed themselves through the water and as quickly as they could, angled downward to reach the more submerged laboratories of the Archives.

They tried not to focus on the specks of darkness that fell off of them.

Luckily the flooded rooms this far down the Archives were all connected through various holes and hallways that the only thing the Child needed to do was not get lost in unfamiliar territory. They involuntary shook from the thought as they glanced at their arms, the fire in the shield nearly gone. They gave one more hard push with their wings through the water, angling for a rather large opening.

They would just have to breach there and find they're way to Quirrel from wherever this hole led to.

Folding their arms and wings inward, the Child pushed with their legs towards the surface of the water as they felt the last of their shield start to break. Black shade started to spread throughout their body as they broke through the water. The Child twirled in the air twice to shake off excess water and the dying shield before snapping open their wings and hovering over the water.

Small droplets of water and shade fell from them as they tried to steady themselves, their breathing harsh and quick while their body trembled slightly. They could feel small stings coming from their wings and arms, probably from where the acidic water had seeped through the shield, but that was hardly worth worrying over.

They watched the last of the shade fall away to nothing and took a deep breath when they heard rattling from above.

The Child looked up to see their Guardian looking down at them, open mouth with a tilted head and a lost for words.

The Child only chirped at Quirrel with great relief and in greeting, a wide smile covering most of their face as they hurried and flew up to charge into Quirrel for a tight hug.

They knew it hadn't really been that long since they last saw him, but in that moment they really missed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, all that nothingness and shade and darkness stuff and the cloak.
> 
> Don't worry about that right now, we'll get there (probably).


	4. All that's Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You won't place so much in something that would just crumble away eventually, right? "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, this was SO HARD TO WRITE!!!
> 
> It's a terrible excuse for how long this took, but its still true and I'm still bleh about this chapter but its taken TOO LONG so I'm putting this out.

The Child looked up at Quirrel from their spot on the floor as Quirrel wrung out the gray cloak. After their impromptu hug, Quirrel had been able to settle the Child down enough to sit on the floor and wait as he assessed them for any damage. When he found none, Quirrel gave off a sigh of relief and offered to let out some of the water from the soaked through cloak before the acid started to mess with the material.

It wasn't until he was nearly done with twisting the cloth that Quirrel finally voiced his question.

“So... why were you in the water?”

The Child quickly turned their head to look away from their Guardian while twiddling their hands, in a poor attempt to either dodge the question or avoid it as much as possible.

They weren't even sure they would be able to give Quirrel a proper answer.

Quirrel turned to look at them with a raised eyebrow when no answer came and he turned to fully look at them with his hands on his hip.

The Child squirmed under his gaze as he waited, they were actually trying to think of a way to express to Quirrel the strange dream they had or the strange oppression they had felt just a few moment ago that led to them diving into the water (which now that they think about it, Quirrel should probably know about that) but the whole point of the two of them coming to the Archives was for Quirrel to calm down and relax. The Child let out a little whine as they realized that they had just done the opposite and invaded his personal time.

The Child quickly jumped up to stand, mouth open and arms forward in determination. They owned Quirrel so much for all he's done and the trust he's given them, the least they could do is try to speak to their Guardian.

“aa-iiii ... loneee...” The Child took a sharp breath and shut their eyes tight and closed their hands into tight fists, they wanted to make this right and properly apologize for once with a reply, but they just couldn't...

“Hey, wait,” the Child heard Quirrel speak so softly. They stopped and looked Quirrel, their Guardian kneeling next to them with his hands held out ready to help and a sad expression on his face that quickly changed to relief.

“There is no need to force yourself like that.” His words were quiet and kind as his hands held onto their to ease them out of the fists the Child was making. “And there is no need to apologize to me either.”

The Child quirked their head to the side, which cause Quirrel to laugh. “OK, so maybe there are somethings that I can't just leave alone, but that doesn't mean that you have to go out of your way for me, my Child, especially if it hurts you.”

The Child stared at Quirrel.

They didn't know how to reply, but their Guardian didn't seem to mind as he once more relaxed next to them, folding the cloak onto his lap and looking over towards the large empty container. The Child stayed still for just a minute before leaning over and laying their head on Quirrel, feeling calm and safe.

–

Quirrel looked down at the sleeping Child with a smile. They both really needed a moment to just sit, and even though the Resting Grounds were generally safe, the large tomb wasn't as isolated or protected as the Teacher's Archives.

“I think I'm starting to understand why you wanted the Archives to be build here, Monomon.” He said to the room before looking up from the Child and directly at the empty container.

“So many things that you can watch over, study, and protect here from the outside world.” He frowned as he took a moment of silence, the Child still except for the small huffs of breath that would occasionally release a small ember. “But these Archives weren't what you really wanted to protect, were they?”

He listened to the distant sound of water running, no doubt from one of the numerous shattered walls and floors that littered the lower levels of the Archives.

“You are- were too stubborn of a being to just let them fall apart like this, even after your passing... At least from what I remember, that's what I understand.

“These Archives, as grand as they were or whatever is still left, they aren't the legacy that you left behind, are they?

“You fought as much as you could, with everything that you had to use. I even remember some of the experiments that you performed on the diseased bugs inside these very walls. The information that you would hunt down and gather here within the Archives. You never looked satisfied from that though, but you still kept doing them, for the sake of the King... or maybe for the answer to ending that nightmarish infection.

“You looked for as long as you could, and I thought that if anyone could find one, it would be you, Monomon... how could you not find it, knowledgeable and determine as you were.”

Quirrel looked at the empty container in front of him, a look of compete disgust crossing his features and a protective hand fell on the Child to hold them closer, but the disgust didn't hold as his face morphed to one of a tired old bug and he only felt the heavy limbs and exhausted mind that his prolong life grave him.

“... You knew that everything would fall apart once... once you were made to sleep, I know you did, even if you won't tell me.

“It's why you told me to leave, right?”

“...

“You won't place so much in something that would just crumble away eventually, right?

“... Monomon?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so many drafts, I wanna cry.
> 
>  
> 
> (PS: Its Quirrel, he's the Teacher's legacy.)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how people reading this series feel about ships in Hollow Knight or what they expect from this series and ships, and honestly that is making me a little apprehensive on taking the series on where I want it to go. (And I feel silly for admitting that considering the website I'm posting this on.)
> 
> Let me know what you think if you like or if you want to comment or not.


End file.
